Finally some relief (for most of us)

June 26, 2006

Worth County - Parts of South Georgia got more than two inches of rain Sunday. The showers swept in cooler temperatures and much needed nourishment for crops and plants. That includes what's growing just outside your door.

Jerry Moore has been Turf Farming for about ten years. He says, "You get an inch of rain on it, and you'll see a major difference in it. It will be a lot greener within a day's time."

But what's here today, will be gone tomorrow, especially if there's no more rain. "When the temperatures hit up into the hundreds," says Moore, "it just saps it, takes everything out that we've done the night before."

About an inch of rain fell at Iron Oak Turf Farms Sunday, but already that moisture is beginning to evaporate. The dirt is turning back into dust. Farm manager Jerry Moore says he needs about a half an inch of rain every two days for best results. He says, "The crop responds 100% better to rain than it does to irrigation. It just makes a wondrous difference."

When harvested, the sod has to be moist so it won't die on the way to the customer. To keep it that way, irrigation is used almost constantly, costing thousands of dollars a month. The best solution for both the power bill and the turf is rain. Moore says, "[You] Can't replace mother nature."

And he's happy Mother nature made a contribution on his turf. What can you do about yours? He says, "People want to know what I can do, and really there's nothing you can do but keep it wet."

There are watering restrictions still in place. No one in Georgia is to water between 10 AM and 4 PM, and then you are only allowed to water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays if you live at an odd numbered address. Even number addresses are only supposed to water on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Friday's are off limits for all of us.

Of course those restrictions don't apply to businesses that depend on water to operate.